作者： admin

Centuries, last-over finishes headline SPL T20 midweek action

The Saint Lucia Premier League (SPL) T20 delivered a packed schedule of high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat cricket this midweek, with four franchises—Babonneau Leatherbacks, Dr Freezers South Castries Lions, Ackelles City Blasters, and Micoud Eagles—walking away with crucial wins across two days of competition held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The first day of action kicked off at Gros Islet’s Francis “Baba” Lastic Grounds, where the Babonneau Leatherbacks locked horns with the Titans in a contest that came down to the final deliveries. The Titans won the toss and elected to bat first, putting up a formidable total of 193 runs for the loss of five wickets by the end of their 20 overs. Opening batsman Djourn Charles anchored the innings with a blistering knock of 79 runs off just 49 balls, while middle-order batter Dalius Monroe provided valuable support with a quick-fire 35 runs from 26 deliveries to push the Titans to their competitive total.

Chasing 194 for victory, the Leatherbacks endured a tense back-and-forth battle to reach the target, crossing the finish line with just two balls remaining in their allocation. Standout performances from Khan Elcock, who notched 49 runs off 28 balls, and Qwaine Henry, who remained unbeaten on 36 runs from 23 deliveries, guided Babonneau to a four-wicket win. The result propelled the Leatherbacks to the top spot in the SPL T20 overall standings after the day’s play.

Across the island at Mindoo Philip Park, Dr Freezers South Castries Lions claimed a solid 23-run victory over the Knights, powered by a record-breaking knock from Grenadian star wicketkeeper-batsman Andre “Spiceman” Fletcher. Batting first, Fletcher smashed the second century of the 2026 SPL T20 tournament, racking up 114 runs off only 54 balls to set the tone for the Lions’ innings. Bolton Sayers chipped in with a rapid 29 runs from 17 deliveries, helping the side post a total of 193 runs. For the Knights, bowlers Lee John and Tyrel Chicot turned in the most impressive performances, claiming three wickets for 23 runs and one wicket for 14 runs respectively.

When the Knights took to the crease to chase the 194-run target, they were bowled out for 169 all out. Top contributions from Simeon Gerson (40 runs) and Lee John (35 runs off 21 balls) were not enough to overcome a dominant bowling display from the Lions. Xavier Gabriel was unplayable for the Lions, finishing with figures of three wickets for just nine runs in two overs, while Daniel Jn Baptiste backed him up with three wickets for 39 runs in four overs to seal the win.

Action resumed on Wednesday at Mindoo Philip Park, where the league-leading Babonneau Leatherbacks aimed to extend their winning streak to three consecutive matches, but fell just short in a tight contest against the Micoud Eagles. Micoud won the toss and batted first, posting a match-winning total of 188 runs for seven wickets after their full 20 overs. Keygan Arnold anchored the Eagles’ innings with a steady 62 runs off 40 deliveries, while Dominic Auguste injected late momentum with a brisk 27 runs from only 13 balls. For the Leatherbacks, Yunieski Gustave and Tyler Sookwa turned in the best bowling performances, claiming three wickets for 29 runs and two wickets for 29 runs respectively, both from their four-over allocations.

In response, the Leatherbacks mounted a strong chase that came down to the final overs, powered by a powerful knock from opening batter Dane Edward, who scored 72 runs off 49 deliveries. However, Edward received little consistent support from the rest of the batting line-up beyond Caleb Thomas, who contributed 24 runs. Babonneau was restricted to 183 runs for seven wickets at the end of their 20 overs, falling five runs short of the target and handing the Eagles a hard-fought win.

At the same time at Francis “Baba” Lastic Grounds, Ackelles City Blasters claimed a three-wicket victory over Choiseul Craft Masters in the highest-scoring match of the midweek round. Choiseul won the toss and elected to bat first, posting an imposing total of 224 runs for six wickets from their 20 overs. The innings was led by a century from Junior Henry, who hit 101 runs off 50 balls, while Trevon James added a quick 33 runs from 19 deliveries. With most bowlers struggling to contain Choiseul’s batters, McKenny Clarke’s figures of two wickets for 27 runs from four overs stood out as the best bowling performance for the Blasters.

Chasing the 225-run target, the City Blasters reached the mark in just 18.3 overs, led by Kensley Paul’s knock of 91 runs off 51 balls—just nine runs short of a well-deserved century. Jaden Elibox’s explosive 37 runs from 16 deliveries proved equally crucial to the chase, providing the late acceleration needed to cross the winning line. Despite a solid bowling performance from Josan James, who claimed three wickets for 22 runs, the Choiseul Craft Masters could not stop the Blasters from claiming the win, leaving the capital-based franchise with four points from two matches.

16 4 月, 2026
PRESS RELEASE: DOMLEC advises customers of increase in fuel surcharge for April 2026

Roseau, Dominica – April 16, 2026 – Dominica’s main power provider, Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC), has publicly notified customers of an upcoming adjustment to electricity pricing that will see a higher fuel surcharge applied to April 2026 energy consumption, with the change appearing on customer bills distributed in May 2026.

The monthly fuel surcharge, a standard variable component of DOMLEC’s billing structure calculated based on the prior month’s energy sales and prevailing fuel costs, will for the first time incorporate an additional line item for geothermal energy production costs this billing cycle. The revised surcharge is computed using three core inputs: March 2026 energy sales, global fossil fuel prices, and the still-limited output from the island’s new geothermal facility.

In a public statement announcing the change, DOMLEC General Manager Dwayne Cenac outlined the combination of market and environmental factors that have driven the latest rate increase. He confirmed that the new fuel surcharge for April consumption will climb to $0.50 per kilowatt-hour, with the single largest contributor to the jump being a dramatic uptick in global fossil fuel prices. Since the start of 2026, Cenac noted, the utility’s average fuel costs have risen by roughly 33%, a surge directly tied to persistent geopolitical instability in the Middle East, a key global oil production region.

This most recent increase marks the third consecutive monthly rise in the surcharge, a trend that began in February 2026. To contextualize the shift, Cenac pointed to seasonal changes in the island’s hydropower output, another core pillar of Dominica’s energy mix. In December 2025, high water levels allowed hydropower to contribute 35% of total national electricity generation, pushing the January 2026 surcharge down to a low of $0.32 per kilowatt-hour. By March 2026, however, seasonal dry conditions reduced hydropower output to its long-term average of roughly 25.5%, driving the surcharge up to $0.36 in February and $0.37 in March respectively.

While the utility has formally integrated geothermal energy into its generation and billing framework, the new renewable source currently makes only a modest contribution to the national grid. The geothermal plant remains in the final commissioning phase, and Cenac confirmed that in March 2026, it accounted for just 6.1% of total electricity production. Looking ahead, though, the utility frames geothermal as a long-term solution to volatile pricing: as the plant scales up output over coming months and years, it is expected to play an increasingly large role in buffering consumer costs from global fossil fuel market swings.

DOMLEC has reaffirmed that the unprecedented 35% jump in the April surcharge is overwhelmingly driven by the sharp global fuel price increase, rather than the new geothermal cost inclusion. To help customers manage higher near-term bills, the utility is urging households and businesses to proactively adjust their energy consumption where possible. In the near future, Cenac added, customers will also gain access to a new time-of-use billing structure, which will offer discounted rates for electricity used during off-peak hours, spanning late evening through early morning.

“Our call for energy conservation comes as we work through the transition from a system heavily reliant on diesel to one that draws more and more power from renewable sources,” Cenac explained. “Conscious energy use not only helps individual households keep their monthly bills manageable, it also advances our collective goal of building a more sustainable energy future for all of Dominica.”

Moving forward, DOMLEC reiterated its long-term commitment to expanding access to reliable, sustainable, and affordable electricity across the island, with ongoing investment in renewable energy infrastructure and grid efficiency upgrades at the core of its strategic plan.

16 4 月, 2026
BBA Tells GOB: “Level the Playing Field”

As key closed-door negotiations with Belize’s Department of Transport got underway on Wednesday, the Belize Bus Association (BBA) has doubled down on its ultimatum: unless the government addresses longstanding inequalities in industry compensation, private bus operators across the country will suspend all service starting this coming Monday.

In a press statement ahead of the talks, BBA President Phillip Jones painted a grim picture of the current financial strain facing private operators, saying most firms are “running on fumes” after months of absorbing skyrocketing fuel costs that have turned every route into a losing proposition. “These operators have continued to sustain loss after loss,” Jones emphasized, noting that a planned shutdown scheduled for the previous Monday was called off only to give the association one last chance to appeal directly to Transport Minister Dr Louis Zabaneh.

Jones stressed that industrial action is not the desired outcome for any of the association’s members, but mounting financial pressure has left operators with no other options if their demands are not met. “My members are far more serious than me… this is the last thing they want to do to the commuters who rely on our services every day,” he added.

At the heart of the conflict is a 5-cent per mile disparity in public mileage compensation between private operators and the state-owned National Bus Company (NBC). Currently, private firms receive just $0.14 per mile for their routes, while the NBC collects $0.19 per mile for the same type of service. The BBA’s core demand is straightforward: level the playing field by standardizing the rate across all public bus operators.

Jones argued the request is entirely reasonable, saying “Let the operators get the same fare that the NBC is receiving; it’s 19 cents for them. So why can’t it be 19 cents for us too? If we don’t come to a positive resolution on the request that we had asked, then transportation won’t be able to be provided by the operators on Monday coming.”

Compounding the dispute are additional grievances from private operators, who allege widespread victimization by authorities. The association claims that private buses are routinely locked out of official bus terminals, forcing drivers to load passengers on public sidewalks in unsafe and inconvenient conditions.

The government has already signaled it is unwilling to meet the BBA’s rate demand. Earlier this week, Minister Zabaneh told local outlet News 5 that the requested rate adjustment is “off the table.”

Only eight of the BBA’s more than a dozen member operators were permitted to attend the closed-door negotiations, which also included Transport CEO Chester Williams. As of Thursday morning, no details have emerged on progress or outcomes from the talks, leaving thousands of daily commuters across Belize bracing for widespread disruption to public transit starting Monday.

16 4 月, 2026
Dominica has seized thousands of ammunition and over 160 firearms since 2023, says Blackmoore

At a three-day intergovernmental security roundtable held in early April 2026, Dominica’s Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore has unveiled significant progress in the island nation’s fight against illicit arms trafficking, revealing that local law enforcement has seized more than 160 illegal firearms and nearly 4,000 rounds of ammunition since 2023.

Speaking to attendees on April 8–10 at the event hosted by Dominica’s Ministry of National Security and Legal Affairs, in partnership with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), Blackmoore detailed the results of sustained enforcement operations: between 2023 and the time of the announcement, officers recovered 3,929 rounds of ammunition, 161 unregistered firearms, and took 121 individuals into custody on related charges.

The national security minister extended public recognition to the frontline personnel leading these counter-arms efforts, singling out the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force and the island’s Customs and Excise Division for their commitment, bravery, and consistent operational excellence. He highlighted that representatives from these agencies were in attendance at the roundtable to coordinate next steps for regional and local security cooperation.

Blackmoore emphasized that eliminating the threat of illegal weapons, which he described as a fundamental danger to Dominica’s social stability, cannot be achieved through isolated action. “If we are to realize success in dealing and combating that threat to our civilization, it’s going to require a collective endeavor going forward,” he told the gathering.

The current enforcement push is part of a broader coordinated regional effort to implement the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, a targeted strategy designed to curb illegal gun trafficking across the Caribbean basin, reduce community violence, and strengthen public safety infrastructure for all member states.

Beyond reviewing progress on anti-trafficking operations, attendees at the inter-institutional roundtable also discussed plans for the construction of a new regulated explosive storage facility in Dominica, a key infrastructure upgrade to improve public safety and weapons management on the island.

16 4 月, 2026
Inheemse organisatie waarschuwt voor rechtsongelijkheid

On April 16, Het Inheems Kollectief Suriname (IKSur), Suriname’s leading indigenous advocacy organization, issued a blistering rebuke of the starkly divergent sentencing demands put forward by the country’s Public Prosecution Service (OM) in the high-profile Pikin Saron violence case, arguing that the lopsided punishments confirm long-held allegations of unequal treatment under Suriname’s rule of law.

The case traces back to violent unrest that broke out in the Pikin Saron indigenous community on May 2, 2023. During the unrest, two indigenous residents — Martinus Wolfjager and Ivanildo Dijksteel — were killed by responding police officers. Forensic pathology examinations later confirmed that the two men posed no immediate threat to officers and were not attempting to flee when they were shot; both were already on the ground when they were struck by gunfire at close range, confirming the use of excessive, unwarranted force.

Seven police officers are currently on trial for their roles in the deadly incident. On February 3, 2026, the OM submitted a sentencing demand calling for a 12-month suspended prison sentence with a three-year probation period for all seven officers, allowing them to remain free throughout and after the trial. In a stark contrast, just weeks earlier on March 24, 2026, the OM reaffirmed its demand for a 15-year unconditional prison sentence for multiple indigenous defendants in the same case during an appeal hearing, maintaining the original harsh sentencing request from the first trial even after a lower sentence was initially handed down.

IKSur has condemned this disparate treatment as “impossible to reconcile with the core principle of equal justice under law”, describing the lopsided sentencing demands as both “shocking” and “unacceptable”. Beyond the sentencing gap, the organization also raised a series of serious concerns about the investigation and broader trial process. Immediately after the 2023 violence, community leaders called for an independent international forensic pathology investigation to avoid bias, but this request was denied despite accessible international expertise, leaving the probe entirely in the hands of domestic authorities. The trial itself has also shown clear procedural inequalities, IKSur claims: indigenous suspects were arrested swiftly and held in pre-trial detention for extended periods, while the implicated police officers have remained free on bail throughout the entire investigation, which has proceeded at a far slower pace.

Beyond procedural issues, IKSur emphasizes that the entire case fails to address the root causes of the 2023 unrest, focusing narrowly on the violence itself without acknowledging the decades of unaddressed grievances driving indigenous activism in Suriname. For years, indigenous communities have pursued peaceful advocacy to secure legal recognition of their traditional land rights and protection of their ancestral territories. These repeated calls have been consistently ignored by national authorities, the organization says, allowing unregulated logging, gold mining, and agricultural concession operations to continue expanding into traditional indigenous lands — often without the free, prior, and informed consent of local communities. These activities have left severe environmental damage in their wake and created major public health risks for indigenous populations.

“What happened in Pikin Saron was an eruption after years of ignored warnings,” stated IKSur chair Captain Lloyd Read. The organization warned that ongoing systemic disregard for indigenous communities’ legitimate demands, paired with clear dual standards in the justice system, is fueling rising social tensions across Suriname and poses an existential threat to the credibility of the country’s rule of law.

“Without justice, there is no trust. Without trust, there can be no rule of law,” IKSur said in its statement. The organization has issued a public call for greater awareness and urgent collective action from Suriname’s civil society, independent judiciary, and the broader international community to address the inequalities exposed by the Pikin Saron case and advance long-overdue justice for indigenous peoples.

16 4 月, 2026
SVG Sailing Week declared a resounding success

St Vincent and the Grenadines has cemented its reputation as a world-class sailing and adventure tourism hub following the wrap-up of the hugely successful SVG Sailing Week 2026, an event organizers and participants alike are calling one of the most energetic and widely attended editions in decades.

This year’s regatta delivered impressive growth across every competitive class, drawing hundreds of regional and international sailors and sailing enthusiasts to the Caribbean nation, while injecting new energy into local communities and small businesses along the competition route. The 9-day event spanned multiple venues, starting with youth-focused junior championship races off the main island of St Vincent before culminating in a dramatic final regatta off the coast of Bequia, blending tight on-water competition, genuine camaraderie between sailors, and joyful celebrations of local Vincentian culture.

Participation numbers more than doubled compared to 2025, with 24 yachts officially registered for this year’s event, up from just 11 in the previous edition. Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday even joined sailors for the event’s official prize-giving ceremony, highlighting the national government’s strong support for the growing regatta.

The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, via the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Sustainable Development, has celebrated the 2026 event as a resounding success and clear proof of the rapid expansion of the country’s fast-growing sports tourism sector.

“SVG Sailing Week 2026 is a shining example of what can be achieved through vision, collaboration, and hard work,” said Dr Kishore Shallow, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Sustainable Development, in remarks following the event. “In addition to showcasing our country’s stunning natural beauty and rich maritime heritage, this event delivered tangible economic benefits for our people across local communities. As a government, we remain fully committed to investing in initiatives like these that create opportunities, drive tourism, and position St Vincent and the Grenadines as a leading destination on the global stage.”

The ministry extended formal gratitude to every stakeholder that contributed to the event’s smooth execution, including the SVG Sailing Association, corporate partners, volunteer crews, local host communities, and regional collaborators. Special recognition was reserved for the event’s organizing committee and technical teams, whose relentless dedication ensured seamless operations across all race venues and social events.

Shallow added, “The outstanding success of SVG Sailing Week this year would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our many stakeholders. I also commend the management and staff, alongside the steering committee, for delivering a first-rate event within a remarkably short planning window. This achievement is highly encouraging as we look ahead to even greater editions in the future.”

More broadly, the 2026 SVG Sailing Week reflects the current government’s renewed strategic focus on revitalizing flagship national events and unlocking new pathways for inclusive economic growth across the country. Officials have reaffirmed their commitment to building on this year’s momentum, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and expanding the scale and reach of future editions to draw even more visitors and competitors to the region.

For sailing fans planning ahead, next year’s event is already locked in: SVG Sailing Week 2027 is scheduled to run from March 21 to 29, marking another chapter in the Caribbean nation’s emergence as a top global sailing destination.

16 4 月, 2026
Antigua And Barbuda Hosts Caribbean Travel Marketplace 44 During Culinary Month In May

The dual-island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has announced that it will play host to the 44th edition of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace, one of the region’s most influential tourism industry gatherings, from May 12 to 15, 2026. What makes this announcement particularly notable is the event’s intentional alignment with the country’s popular annual Culinary Month, a weeks-long celebration that puts the destination’s fast-growing food culture front and center for visitors and industry stakeholders alike.

This strategic pairing of the major industry trade show and the culinary festival creates a one-of-a-kind experience for the hundreds of regional and international travel buyers and suppliers expected to attend the 2026 Marketplace. Attendees will not only be able to conduct core business networking, negotiate partnerships, and explore new tourism product offerings, but also get a first-hand immersive deep dive into Antigua and Barbuda’s vibrant, rapidly evolving local food scene.

The nation’s rising profile as a culinary tourism hub has already earned it international recognition: just last year, Antigua and Barbuda took home the 2025 title of “Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination” from the World Culinary Awards. This accolade cements the country’s growing reputation as a go-to spot for food-focused travelers across the region and beyond, adding extra weight to the decision to co-locate the 2026 Marketplace with Culinary Month.

Colin C. James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, emphasized the unique value that this combined event will deliver. “Culinary Month gives food lovers from across the globe an unparalleled chance to experience our distinct cuisine, our rich cultural heritage, and the warmth of our people firsthand,” James explained. “By aligning the Caribbean Travel Marketplace with our festival, we’re giving our industry partners the opportunity to connect with our destination in a truly authentic, memorable way that goes far beyond a typical trade show setting.”

To integrate the culinary celebration seamlessly into the Marketplace schedule, event organizers have planned a full slate of special food-focused experiences open to attending delegates. Running from May 3 to 17, overlapping both the lead-up to and duration of the 2026 Marketplace, the destination’s annual Restaurant Week will offer island-wide prix-fixe menus at more than 50 participating local restaurants. Menus will be available at three accessible price points: $25, $50, and $75 U.S. dollars, giving delegates options to fit every schedule and budget. A curated series of small, local cookshop demonstrations led entirely by native Antiguan and Barbudan chefs will also be on offer, highlighting traditional cooking techniques and local ingredients.

For delegates looking for a structured evening food experience, the Culinary Crawl, a dine-around tour showcasing the thriving restaurant scene along Antigua and Barbuda’s scenic south coast, will be open for booking on May 14, right in the middle of the Marketplace. Delegates are actively encouraged to build these culinary experiences into their official event itineraries to get the most out of their visit. Updated information on participating restaurants, special event details, and booking instructions for Culinary Month activities will be published regularly on the official Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority website as the 2026 event approaches.

16 4 月, 2026
Russia Launches Massive Drone and Missile Strike on Ukraine, Killing 18

Just days after a limited 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire initiated by Moscow, Russia has unleashed one of the most extensive combined drone and missile assaults on Ukrainian territory in 2026, leaving at least 18 people dead — including one child — and wounding more than 100 others across multiple regions, Ukrainian national and local authorities confirmed to CNN on Thursday.

According to reports from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service and local administrative bodies, the 118 recorded injuries came as Russian projectiles destroyed and damaged dozens of civilian residential buildings, igniting large blazes in communities across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force documented that over the 24-hour period ending early Thursday morning, Russian forces launched a staggering 659 unmanned aerial drones alongside 44 conventional and ballistic missiles. The assault was carried out in sequential waves, with strikes hitting major Ukrainian population centers including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the northeast, the southern Black Sea port of Odesit, central Dnipro, and southeastern Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the large-scale attack as a deliberate act of terrorism against civilian populations. He noted that the assault deployed nearly 700 aerial assets alongside dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, with civilian infrastructure and residential areas serving as the primary targets, in an official post published to the social platform X. Sybiha also classified the attack as a clear war crime, stressing that all individuals responsible for planning and carrying out the assault must be held legally accountable for their actions.

In Kyiv, the assault claimed four lives, among them a 12-year-old boy whose remains were recovered from the rubble of a fully collapsed residential building. The State Emergency Service recorded at least 48 injuries in the capital alone. A chief executive of a local Kyiv construction firm confirmed that one strike detonated within close proximity of an under-construction residential complex, wounding six on-site workers, two of whom remain in critical condition and were undergoing emergency surgery as of Thursday.

Regional casualty reports confirm three fatalities and 34 injuries in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, while at least one civilian was killed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a formal condemnation of the attack in the hours after the barrage, accusing the Kremlin of doubling down on its commitment to full-scale war. He emphasized that the unprovoked overnight assault on civilian targets proves Moscow does not qualify for any easing of the international sanctions imposed over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and confirmed reports of fatalities in Odesa, Kyiv and Dnipro.

The attack marks a rapid end to the temporary ceasefire that Putin announced ahead of Orthodox Easter, a 32-hour pause in hostilities that came in response to an earlier proposal for a holiday ceasefire put forward by Zelensky.

16 4 月, 2026
Calls for growth, inclusion take centre stage at Junior Jazz opening

The 2026 edition of Junior Jazz, Saint Lucia’s flagship youth creative event, officially launched Wednesday at the scenic Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort, where organizers and local leaders centered two key themes: the untapped potential of the island’s creative economy and the urgent need for long-term, systemic support for young emerging artists, alongside the event’s proven power to foster inclusion for neurodiverse young people.

As founder of Dove Productions, the organization behind the initiative, Colin Weekes opened his remarks by celebrating Junior Jazz’s proven track record as a transformative launchpad for young creative talent across Saint Lucia. Calling the annual gathering a “brilliant event” that opens doors for youth who dream of creative careers, Weekes used his address to push stakeholders across government, private industry and the non-profit sector to look beyond the immediate success of the annual gathering and plan for long-term sustainable growth.

Drawing from his own decades-long journey in the creative sector, Weekes shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the persistent structural gaps that still hold young Saint Lucian creatives back. From the time he was a primary school student, he said, his only ambition was to work behind the camera, but when he graduated from St Mary’s College, there was no clear pathway or professional infrastructure to help him turn that passion into a viable livelihood. Today, he argued, that gap has not been fully closed.

Weekes questioned whether local and national stakeholders have built the robust, year-round support systems needed to help young creatives build lasting careers. Annual events like Junior Jazz are a critical starting point, he emphasized, but they are not enough to sustain a growing creative industry. “The creative industry cannot be left on its own,” he stated, pushing for more consistent programming, training opportunities, and professional development opportunities spread throughout the year instead of isolated, once-a-year events. “We need more than a gig. We need avenue, we need platform,” he said.

Beyond access to programming, Weekes called for broader efforts to legitimize creative careers as viable, full-time professions. A key part of this work, he noted, is building financial infrastructure that allows creatives to access loans and other financial support using their skills as collateral. “We need to be able to go to the bank and say, I am a creative and I want to use my skill to have a livelihood,” he explained, framing financial access as a critical step toward building a sustainable, independent creative sector in Saint Lucia.

Following Weekes’ remarks, Castries Mayor Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel offered a deeply personal perspective on the event’s impact, tying Junior Jazz’s mission to autism awareness and social inclusion for neurodiverse young people. As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, Lendor-Gabriel shared how the Junior Jazz platform and access to formal music training transformed her son’s developmental journey.

When her son first started exploring music, he began learning the keyboard, but through the opportunities provided by Junior Jazz, he has since mastered multiple instruments, including bass and tenor pan. “This event and music made that difference in my son’s life,” she said, crediting both the program’s supportive community and her son’s innate passion for his rapid growth.

The mayor emphasized that her son’s success is not an isolated case, noting that countless other neurodiverse children on the spectrum hold untapped creative talent that is often overlooked in traditional academic and social settings. For young people who struggle to thrive in conventional education environments, initiatives like Junior Jazz provide a critical, welcoming space to build skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. “There are a number of other children who are also on the spectrum who also have that gift,” she said, positioning Junior Jazz as a vital model for inclusive youth development across the island.

16 4 月, 2026
Antigua and Barbuda Strengthens Sweet Potato Research Under Regional Climate-Resilience Project

A landmark four-year regional initiative focused on upgrading sweet potato cultivation and safeguarding critical crop genetic diversity across the Caribbean is accelerating progress, bringing together agricultural stakeholders from five nations through a dedicated practitioner network led by technical experts. The Next Generation Sweet Potato Production in the Caribbean Project, led by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), operates in partnership with national agriculture ministries in Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia, alongside the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), to address longstanding gaps in regional food security and climate adaptation.

As part of the project’s capacity-building roadmap, recent collaborative training with the International Potato Center (CIP) brought 73 agricultural experts from academic institutions, government technical agencies, and both public and private agricultural sectors together for a hybrid program of theoretical instruction and hands-on field work. The training centered on building core skills for identifying unique sweet potato varieties, documenting their morphological traits, and cataloguing these genetic resources for future preservation and use.

Participants began their learning journey with five interactive virtual modules, where they mastered the 30 globally standardized descriptors used to catalog key sweet potato characteristics, ranging from leaf morphology and vine growth patterns to root structure and other genetic traits. After completing the theoretical portion, practitioners applied their new skills in on-the-ground field exercises across four participating member countries, working alongside lead specialists like Dr. Robles to validate identification and characterization practices in Jamaican growing sites.

For small island nations across the region, the project is already delivering measurable expansion of local genetic resources. In Antigua and Barbuda, for example, agricultural officials currently have 73 distinct sweet potato accessions formally documented. Through the project’s partnership with CIP, an additional 19 unique varieties will be added to the national collection, significantly broadening the country’s sweet potato genetic base to support more resilient breeding programs.

Beyond expanding collections, the initiative prioritizes equipping local agricultural professionals with the specialized skills needed to maintain, utilize, and protect these irreplaceable genetic resources long-term. It also works directly with smallholder and commercial farmers to support adoption of high-yield, climate-resilient sweet potato varieties that can withstand rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and other climate impacts increasingly affecting Caribbean agriculture. Ultimately, these coordinated efforts are targeted at strengthening both food and nutrition security across all participating nations, where sweet potatoes serve as a staple carbohydrate and key source of dietary nutrients.

The project receives core funding from the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, administered through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with additional co-financing support from the European Union. Moving forward, the four-year initiative will continue to deepen regional collaboration, facilitate cross-border knowledge sharing, and strengthen the growing Community of Practice dedicated to advancing sustainable, resilient sweet potato production across the Caribbean.

16 4 月, 2026