Carib Scope

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  • Weapons in Space? United States Says It Has Them

    Weapons in Space? United States Says It Has Them

    In a historic and unanticipated announcement that has shifted global conversations about the militarization of outer space, the United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has placed operational weapons into Earth’s orbit. The U.S. Air Force confirmed the development, noting that the deployed systems are officially framed as a defensive measure designed to protect American military assets from adversarial attacks.

    The revelation arrives at a moment of escalating strategic competition in space, with Washington increasingly raising alarms over expanding anti-satellite capabilities developed by China and Russia that it claims could put critical American orbital satellites at risk. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stated explicitly that the U.S. now possesses “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.”

    Notably, Meink declined to provide any specific details about the newly deployed systems. He did not disclose the category of weapons currently in orbit, their operational mechanisms, how long they have been active in space, nor whether they are engineered to target other orbital assets or strike locations on Earth’s surface. However, ABC News has cited anonymous sources within the U.S. Space Force indicating that the capabilities are designed to be flexible enough for both offensive and defensive operations, with their use case determined by the direction of combatant command leadership.

    Beyond direct military implications, the deployment of weapons in space carries far-reaching risks for all space-faring nations. Any conflict that damages or destroys satellites would generate massive amounts of high-velocity orbital debris, which can travel at speeds of tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. This debris would dramatically raise the risk of catastrophic collisions with operational civilian and military spacecraft, potentially rendering entire orbital regions unusable for generations.

    The U.S. has been steadily expanding its military footprint in space for more than a decade. A major milestone in this process came in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump formally established the U.S. Space Force as an independent branch of the American armed forces, dedicated exclusively to space operations and national security in the orbital domain.

  • Witness Missing? Extortion Charge Against Immigration Officer Dismissed

    Witness Missing? Extortion Charge Against Immigration Officer Dismissed

    In a case that has lingered for more than two years, criminal extortion proceedings against immigration officer Monique Escalante have been terminated without a trial, after authorities failed to locate the Jamaican traveler who first brought the $3,000 extortion allegation against her.

    The legal saga began in March 2024, when Janhoi Shaun-Dhee Richards, a Jamaican national, filed a formal complaint alleging that Escalante and two other unidentified immigration personnel confronted him shortly after his arrival at Philip Goldson International Airport. According to Richards’ original claim, when he told the officers he was carrying no large sums of cash, they escorted him directly to an on-site ATM, where he was forced to withdraw $3,000 USD and hand the money over to the group.

    Following the filing of charges, Escalante, who has repeatedly maintained her innocence, was placed on official administrative interdiction and released on bail ahead of trial. She remained out on bail through the entire duration of the pre-trial process, and reappeared at the High Court for a scheduled hearing on Tuesday this week.

    Prosecutors from the Crown spent months attempting to contact Richards to secure his testimony for the trial, reaching out through every available channel: phone calls, email communications, and direct outreach via social media platforms. None of these efforts yielded a response, and the key witness could not be located to appear in court to give evidence. Left with no in-person testimony, prosecutors applied to have Richards’ original out-of-court statement admitted into the record as hearsay evidence.

    The admissibility of this statement was debated at length during a pre-trial voir dire hearing, where four separate witnesses gave testimony related to the issue of the statement’s credibility.

    In his final ruling, Justice Pilgrim granted the no-case submission put forward by Escalante’s defense attorney Leslie Hamilton. With the prosecution’s central witness unavailable to give sworn testimony in court, and Richards’ out-of-court statement deemed insufficient to sustain the extortion charge on its own, the Crown entered a formal nolle prosequi — a legal order that formally discontinues the prosecution — bringing the entire case to a close.

  • Flood watch issued for Dominica as tropical wave affects Iiland

    Flood watch issued for Dominica as tropical wave affects Iiland

    The Caribbean island nation of Dominica remains under an official flood watch Wednesday through early Thursday, as a combination of a tropical wave and an upper-level trough brings unstable, rain-heavy weather to the area. The watch was put into effect by the country’s Office of Disaster Management (ODM) starting at 12:00 p.m. local time on September 16, and is scheduled to expire at 6:00 a.m. on September 17.

    Through Wednesday afternoon and overnight, Dominica can expect persistent cloudy to overcast skies, alongside scattered showers that will likely intensify into moderate to heavy downpours. Isolated thunderstorms and gusty winds are also forecast across the island. Meteorological projections estimate total rainfall could reach up to two inches across most areas, with higher accumulations possible in elevated, mountainous regions of the country, which raises the risk of runoff and slope instability.

    ODM has issued clear safety guidance for residents, particularly those living in zones that are historically prone to flooding, landslides and falling rock debris. The agency urges all at-risk residents to monitor official updates continuously, remain alert to changing conditions, and take proactive precautions to protect themselves and their property. For context, a flood watch designation means that weather conditions are favorable for flooding to occur, rather than an immediate flood warning that indicates flooding is already underway or imminent.

    Wind forecasts call for sustained northeast to southeast winds of 15 to 35 kilometers per hour, with occasional stronger gusts. As of Wednesday afternoon, no additional official warnings or weather advisories are active across the island.

    Off the coast, sea conditions are projected to stay between slight and moderate through the watch period. Significant wave heights will range from 1 to 2 meters (3 to 7 feet) overall, with more specific variation by coast: around 3 feet along Dominica’s sheltered west coast, and up to 7 feet along the more exposed east coast. ODM is urging small vessel operators and recreational sea bathers to exercise extra caution when entering coastal waters during this period of unsettled conditions.

    The unstable rainy weather is expected to persist through Wednesday night. Forecasters project that by Thursday, conditions will clear as a drier air mass moves in, alongside the return of annual Saharan dust outflow to the region, which will suppress further rainfall.

  • One Communications to push cancer testing, amid mixed response to Health Ministry’s screening efforts

    One Communications to push cancer testing, amid mixed response to Health Ministry’s screening efforts

    On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, One Communications – the rebranded telecom firm formerly known as GTT – formally launched its expanded PinkTober 2026 campaign, partnering with Guyana’s Ministry of Health to shift the country’s cancer advocacy conversation beyond awareness to tangible, life-saving action. The initiative, themed “One Hope,” marks a deliberate break from the telecom company’s decade-long history of focusing exclusively on breast cancer outreach, now expanding support to all Guyanese affected by any form of cancer, with a new targeted push for prostate cancer screening alongside breast cancer services.

    Speaking at the launch event, One Communications CEO Abraham Smith emphasized that the campaign’s core goal is to drive meaningful behavior change across the country. For ten years, the company has successfully drawn thousands of participants to its annual October breast cancer walk, but Smith argued that incremental awareness is no longer enough. “We know we can get thousands of Guyanese to show up and walk. We’ve done that for a decade. But now we have to ask ourselves, can we get thousands to screen?” Smith said. This year, the campaign will go far beyond the traditional October 25 walk, working to remove barriers that prevent at-risk Guyanese from accessing life-saving early detection testing.

    Under the new partnership with the Ministry of Health, One Communications will amplify public outreach to share clear, accessible information about where local screening services are available, address common fears and uncertainties that lead many people to delay care, and provide direct practical support to reduce access barriers. The company will distribute free mammogram vouchers to support breast cancer screening for women, and launch targeted outreach to encourage men to discuss Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing with their healthcare providers to detect prostate cancer early. To extend its reach across all regions of Guyana, One Communications is also collaborating with eight leading local cancer-focused non-governmental organizations: Champions of Hope, the Cancer Institute of Guyana, Periwinkle Club, Giving Hope Foundation, the Cancer Foundation, Beacon Foundation, Recover Guyana, and the Guyana Cancer Society. These partnerships will strengthen existing efforts to educate communities, advocate for expanded cancer care, and deliver direct support to patients and families across the country.

    Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, who also spoke at the launch, outlined the urgent public health context that makes this expanded campaign critical. Despite the Guyanese government’s recent investment in expanding access to mammography services – adding new machines to public sector hospitals in Georgetown, Berbice, Essequibo Coast and Lethem, as well as expanding access through private sector providers – uptake remains far too low. Between January and September 2026, only 1,667 mammograms were conducted across the country. “Before, when we didn’t have the machines, the problem was, okay, we didn’t have enough machines, people didn’t have access. Now we are opening up access, but people are not coming,” Dr. Anthony explained.

    With 6.4 percent of all screened patients so far this year testing positive for breast cancer, Dr. Anthony noted that current screening numbers are skewed toward already health-conscious Guyanese, meaning many at-risk people are still not accessing care. Widespread national and regional outreach campaigns like PinkTober 2026 are essential to reach the right population segments and drive up screening numbers significantly, he added.

    Dr. Anthony also highlighted progress in HPV vaccination, a key public health tool to prevent cervical and penile cancers, which are linked to HPV infection. Vaccination coverage for children aged 9 to 15 has jumped from just 16 percent to nearly 70 percent in recent years, but Guyana still needs to reach and sustain a 90 percent coverage rate to meet World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for eliminating these preventable cancers. The vaccine is also currently available for women aged 16 to 45 as part of the national cervical cancer prevention strategy. “In about 10 years, if we maintain this rate of vaccination, we would be on that journey of eliminating one of the most prevalent cancers among women. We can change that outcome. We can see that in our lifetime,” Dr. Anthony said. To date, the government’s HPV testing voucher program has identified 4,000 positive cases among 24,000 tested people over the past two years, all of whom have been connected to ongoing treatment.

    On the topic of prostate cancer, Dr. Anthony reported that 137 new cases have been detected in the first nine months of 2026, a relatively high number that he attributes to the government’s new proactive testing program, which offers free PSA testing vouchers in collaboration with private laboratories. Previously, most prostate cancer cases were only diagnosed at late, untreatable stages, but the expanded screening program is shifting this trend by enabling earlier detection that dramatically improves patient outcomes. Dr. Anthony closed by calling on local non-governmental organizations to leverage their community networks to encourage more people to take advantage of free and subsidized screening opportunities, noting that five years ago, little action was being taken on cancer in Guyana, but ongoing public-private partnerships are working to change that trajectory.

    Cancer is now one of the leading causes of death in Guyana, and both public and private sector leaders emphasized that collaborative, action-focused campaigns like PinkTober 2026 are critical to reducing preventable cancer deaths and improving health outcomes for all Guyanese.

  • MacDougall proposes support desk for practical business solutions in Roseau North

    MacDougall proposes support desk for practical business solutions in Roseau North

    Freshly sworn-in parliamentary representative for Dominica’s Roseau North constituency, Ashma McDougall, has put forward a targeted policy proposal to cut through barriers for local micro and small business owners: the creation of a dedicated in-constituency Business Support Desk. McDougall outlined the plan during an appearance on the Focus on Government and Development program, broadcast this week by Dominica’s state-owned radio station DBS.

    While existing national bodies including the Dominica Youth Business Trust, the National Development Foundation of Dominica (NDFD), and the government’s Small Business Unit already offer enterprise support services, McDougall noted that many micro enterprise owners face unaddressed hurdles when engaging with these large, centralized institutions. Many small-scale operators, she explained, find the process of accessing formal institutional support intimidating or logistically challenging, leaving them without the guidance they need to grow and stabilize their businesses.

    The proposed local Business Support Desk would operate out of the constituency’s office, staffed by a dedicated business support officer. This on-site resource would give small and micro business owners a low-barrier, accessible point of contact to get help with core needs, from navigating applications for development financing to building skills in basic financial record keeping. McDougall emphasized that for many local entrepreneurs, a quick, informal stop at their local constituency office to consult with a support officer would be far more approachable than making an appointment at a distant national agency.

    According to McDougall, this localized model has the potential to fundamentally reshape how micro and small businesses operate across Roseau North, unlocking growth for a segment of the local economy that is often overlooked by centralized support schemes. Beyond her own constituency, she added that the approach could serve as a replicable blueprint for other electoral districts across Dominica looking to boost local small enterprise development.

  • A judge’s legacy: Justice Gilford leaves Grenada after 13 years

    A judge’s legacy: Justice Gilford leaves Grenada after 13 years

    In a ceremonial special sitting of Grenada’s St George’s High Court held on September 14, the Caribbean nation’s legal community gathered to mark a pivotal moment for the local judiciary: honoring the departure of its longest-serving sitting judge, Paula Gilford, while formally welcoming incoming Justice Akilah Anderson to the bench.

    Born in Guyana, Gilford departs the Grenadian bench after 13 years of service, a tenure that placed her at the heart of the country’s justice system and saw her preside over thousands of judgments and hundreds of the nation’s most complex criminal and civil trials. As she prepares to take up a new judicial post in St Kitts and Nevis on September 21 – a jurisdiction where she previously served early in her career – legal leaders across Grenada have hailed her lasting impact on the island’s criminal justice system.

    Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Howard Pinnock emphasized the public trust Gilford rebuilt through her work on the bench. “Judges have to be mindful of maintaining confidence in the criminal justice system by the sentences they impose,” Pinnock told the assembled court. “And I say, my lady, without fear of no objection, that you have restored confidence in the criminal justice system in Grenada. That is one of your monuments.”

    Longtime criminal defence attorney Jerry Edwin echoed that praise, highlighting the dual pillars that defined Gilford’s judicial approach: unwavering adherence to legal principle and consistent fairness. Describing her commitment to upholding the rule of law, Edwin noted “a stern observance to the law” that translated to firm sentencing that deterred repeat offenses. “She has meted out sentences that caused fear in the minds of many offenders,” Edwin said, before adding that the judge’s reputation for even-handed justice remained unchallenged: “She has a reputation for, yes, fairness… She would throw the book at you,” only when the facts of the case demanded it, he clarified.

    In her own farewell remarks, Gilford reflected on the profound weight of judicial responsibility, emphasizing that every matter brought before her court touched real lives. “Every case represents real people facing real challenges, anxieties and hope,” she said. She added that the role of a judge carries “a profound responsibility to listen carefully, remain impartial and always strive to ensure that justice is administered fairly and without fear or favour.” Gilford also reaffirmed the critical role of judicial independence in sustaining public trust in Grenada’s democratic institutions.

    The same ceremony that celebrated Gilford’s legacy introduced the justice who will succeed her at St George’s No. 1 High Court: Jamaican-born Akilah Anderson, a legal professional with more than 20 years of experience across a diverse range of practice areas, including environmental law, criminal law, constitutional law and administrative law. Anderson takes up her post at a time when Grenada’s judiciary faces a significant backlog of cases: the upcoming September Assizes is set to open with 85 matters listed on its official roll, including multiple long-pending criminal cases that have waited years for resolution.

    Veteran criminal defence attorney George Prime noted that Anderson faces substantial challenges as she steps into the role, not least of which is filling the void left by Gilford’s decades of dedicated service. “The new judge has an uphill battle to now step into the shoes of Justice Gilford, who, in my humble view, has done a tremendous job,” Prime said.

    As Gilford moves to her next appointment and Anderson settles into her new position, the moment marks both a conclusion of a defining era for Grenada’s justice system and the start of a new chapter, with the local legal community waiting to see how Anderson will navigate the heavy caseload and build on the foundation Gilford leaves behind.

  • Rechtstaat ondermijnd door vrijlopende moordenaar

    Rechtstaat ondermijnd door vrijlopende moordenaar

    Four decades after the devastating December 8, 1982 killings that shook Suriname, the legacy of unresolved justice remains a open wound for grieving families and a stain on the country’s democratic institutions. In a forceful statement released September 16, Stichting 8 December 1982 (the December 8, 1982 Foundation) has issued a sharp condemnation of the Surinamese government’s ongoing failure to detain Leendert Dijksteel, a convicted murderer directly implicated in the 1982 mass killing case, who remains at large decades after his conviction.

    For the relatives of the 15 unarmed civilian victims killed in the 1982 incident, this unaddressed injustice has turned a court verdict into a hollow promise. While a court has formally handed down a guilty finding against Dijksteel, no authority has moved to enforce that ruling, leaving the convicted killer free to move across the country while victim’s families continue to grapple with the pain of losing their loved ones. The foundation describes this reality as completely unacceptable: a core violation of the basic promise of justice that a state owes to its citizens.

    Worse, the foundation argues, this ongoing failure to enforce the conviction undermines the very foundations of Suriname’s rule of law. A nation that allows convicted violent offenders to evade custody and lets suspects disappear without trace cannot credibly claim to be a functioning, rights-respecting state. The persistent impunity for Dijksteel carries four far-reaching harms that damage Suriname’s social and political fabric, the foundation outlines.

    First, it enables outright impunity for a severe crime against humanity, sending a dangerous message that grave violence against civilians can go unpunished. Second, it systematically erodes public trust in the country’s judiciary and law enforcement agencies, when citizens see that even finalized court rulings are not enforced. Third, it poses a direct, ongoing threat to public safety: a convicted mass murderer is able to move freely through communities, with no oversight to prevent further harm. Fourth, the failure to act violates Suriname’s binding international human rights obligations, as the country is a signatory to multiple international treaties that require states to guarantee equal access to justice and uphold the rule of law for all.

    In closing, the foundation issued an urgent demand to Suriname’s national authorities: launch immediate, full-scale efforts using every available resource to locate and take Dijksteel into custody without delay. Only through decisive, forceful action can Suriname demonstrate that its legal system does not bend to political convenience or bureaucratic apathy, the foundation says. Only by enforcing this conviction can the country prove that its justice system exists first to protect its citizens, and to honor the memory of the 15 people killed on December 8, 1982.

    The statement was signed by Sunil Oemrawsingh, chair of Stichting 8 December 1982.

  • Dominican Republic faces extreme heat with temperatures above 37°C

    Dominican Republic faces extreme heat with temperatures above 37°C

    The Dominican Republic is bracing for an extended stretch of record-breaking intense heat, with official forecasts predicting temperatures and combined heat indexes will climb above 37°C across much of the country through September 22, the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) has confirmed. The extreme heat event, classified as ranging from severe to exceptional intensity, will hit the nation’s northwestern region hardest, where the mercury is projected to hold above 37°C for no fewer than three consecutive days.

    Meteorologists have linked this extreme heat event to a combination of overlapping climatic factors: the Dominican Republic’s annual warm seasonal peak, a mass of unusually dry and stable atmospheric conditions, and an incoming plume of Saharan dust that is expected to settle over the region over the weekend. This confluence of conditions has amplified temperatures beyond typical seasonal averages, creating a dangerous public heat risk.

    Data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s September 16–22 heat risk map aligns with Indomet’s assessments, marking the northwestern Dominican Republic as an area of significant extreme heat risk. Other major regions, including the central, eastern, and southeastern parts of the country, are forecast to face moderate to severe heat hazards through the end of the period. In these areas, temperatures and combined heat indexes will range between 33°C and 37°C, levels that are sufficient to trigger dangerous heat stress for vulnerable populations.

    In response to the looming hazard, Indomet has issued urgent public guidance urging heightened precautions, particularly for people at higher risk of heat-related illness: pregnant people, young children, older adults, and individuals living with chronic underlying health conditions. The institute has outlined clear, actionable steps for residents to stay safe during the heatwave, including maintaining consistent water intake to stay hydrated, wearing lightweight, loose-fitting garments in light, sun-reflective colors, avoiding unprotected exposure to direct sunlight between the peak heat hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and taking proactive steps to keep companion pets cool and protected from high temperatures. National authorities have additionally advised all residents to curtail extended outdoor activities during the hottest hours of the day to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke as the extreme conditions persist.

  • Dominican Republic to host Dominican Week in France in October

    Dominican Republic to host Dominican Week in France in October

    Starting October 17 through 22, 2026, the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic will bring a landmark cross-sector event, Dominican Week in France (SD26), to the heart of Paris. This multi-focal gathering will unite senior government representatives, private business leaders, and global investment stakeholders to advance economic, commercial and cultural connections between the Dominican Republic and France. Coinciding with SIAL Paris 2026, one of the planet’s most prominent food industry trade exhibitions, SD26 is jointly developed by three host institutions: the Dominican Embassy in France, the Dominican Republic’s investment and export promotion agency ProDominicana, and the Franco-Dominican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFD).

    SD26’s agenda is structured around three core pillars that align with the countries’ shared strategic priorities: economic and trade diplomacy, political and parliamentary exchange, and cultural diplomacy. The initiative builds directly on the momentum of recent high-level diplomatic engagement, growing out of official meetings between Dominican President Luis Abinader and French President Emmanuel Macron that set the stage for deeper bilateral cooperation.

    Three industry-specific forums will lead the economic and investment track of SD26, each targeting a high-growth segment of the Dominican economy. The opening forum, titled “Dominican Republic: Strategic Platform in the Caribbean”, will center the country’s competitive advantages in free trade zones, advanced manufacturing, cross-regional logistics, and untapped investment openings, followed by structured one-on-one business-to-business networking sessions. A second forum, the “Green Light” initiative, will turn focus to renewable energy development and climate-aligned investment opportunities, while the third panel “Digital Dominican Republic” will explore the country’s expanding tech ecosystem, covering emerging innovation, fintech development, and modern cybersecurity strategy.

    Beyond these thematic forums, the event packs a full schedule of commercial engagement activities: tailored B2B matching sessions, a targeted buyer-exporter partnership program for the food and agriculture sector, and a dedicated ProDominicana exhibition pavilion within the SIAL Paris 2026 venue. These components are designed to give Dominican exporters a high-visibility space to showcase their goods to European buyers and forge new long-term commercial partnerships. On the political and diplomatic side, the agenda includes an official working visit to the French National Assembly and collaborative policy working sessions hosted at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.

    The cultural track of SD26 will bring Dominican art and creative talent to Paris’ cultural landscape. A major new exhibition, “The Dominican Worlds of José Castillo”, will open at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine, and event organizers will formally launch the Dominican Republic X International Arts City Artist Residency Program to support cross-cultural creative exchange between the two nations.

    Overall, SD26 is positioned as a transformative platform to expand Dominican exports, increase foreign direct investment inflows from France, and broaden bilateral business ties, while growing the country’s profile and market access across the European Union.

  • Port Cabo Rojo named finalist for 2026 Seatrade Cruise Award

    Port Cabo Rojo named finalist for 2026 Seatrade Cruise Award

    The global cruise industry’s prestigious 2026 Seatrade Cruise Awards, one of the sector’s most respected international honors, has named Port Cabo Rojo in Pedernales, Dominican Republic as one of three finalists for the coveted Port of the Year title.

    The Dominican terminal went head-to-head with two established European ports: the United Kingdom’s Portsmouth International Port and Norway’s Skjolden Port. Final judging and the awards ceremony took place on September 16 during the Seatrade Cruise Med industry gathering, hosted this year in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Ultimately, Norway’s Skjolden Port claimed the top prize, with Cabo Rojo and Portsmouth International Port finishing as runners-up.

    The journey to the finals was already a significant achievement for Port Cabo Rojo. Initially, an independent panel of 15 seasoned cruise industry professionals narrowed down more than 20 initial nominees to the three finalists, selecting the Dominican port to advance to the final round. This nomination put the relatively new Pedernales terminal in the same global spotlight as long-standing, well-known European cruise ports, shining a well-deserved spotlight on the rising international profile of Pedernales and the Dominican Republic’s entire southern tourism region.

    Since launching commercial operations, Port Cabo Rojo has emerged as a cornerstone of the Dominican Republic’s strategy to grow tourism in its southwestern region. The terminal has opened Pedernales to entirely new cruise routes, dramatically boosting the destination’s visibility and accessibility across the competitive international cruise market.

    This landmark recognition comes at a time when the Dominican Republic is actively expanding its national port infrastructure and working to diversify its cruise tourism offerings beyond the country’s traditional, well-established cruise hubs. Even though Port Cabo Rojo did not take home the 2026 Port of the Year award, its selection as a finalist stands as a meaningful international validation of the terminal’s rapid development and its growing, transformative role in the Dominican Republic’s burgeoning cruise tourism sector.