Carib Scope

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  • Jarvis hits four goals as Mavericks top BFA Kotex Women’s League

    Jarvis hits four goals as Mavericks top BFA Kotex Women’s League

    A stunning goal-scoring spree unfolded at the Barbados Football Association’s Kotex Women’s League this Monday, held at the BFA Technical Centre, with one of the most lopsided results of the season so far.

    In the only fixture scheduled for the evening, the Mavericks side delivered a dominant, one-sided performance to shut out Police 8-0, solidifying their position as an early title contender. The writing was on the wall for Police even before halftime, with Mavericks holding a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the break, but the second half saw the attacking side pull away completely to turn the match into a rout.

    It was forward Felicia Jarvis who stole the show on the night, bagging an incredible four goals to lead Mavericks to the resounding win. Her scoring spree kicked off late in the second half: she found the back of the net in the 78th and 82nd minutes, converted a penalty just two minutes later in the 84th, and wrapped up her haul deep in stoppage time to cap off her career-best performance.

    The match got off to a fast start for Mavericks, with Gabrielle Birmingham opening the club’s account as early as the 7th minute, breaking the deadlock for her side. Makela Alleyne doubled the advantage just before the halftime whistle, slotting home in the 44th minute to send Mavericks into the break with a solid two-goal buffer.

    Minutes after the restart, Terena Clarke extended the lead to 3-0 in the 49th minute, putting Police firmly on the back foot. Jarvis’ three quick-fire goals over just six minutes of play erased any remaining hope of a Police comeback, making the final result inevitable. Alleyne got her second of the night just one minute after Jarvis’ penalty, pushing the scoreline to 7-0 in the 85th minute, before Jarvis added her fourth and Mavericks’ eighth in the 90th minute to complete the thrashing.

    The blowout result has catapulted Mavericks to the top of the league table, edging out second-place Paradise on goal difference. Notably, Paradise still has one match in hand on the new league leaders. After four matches played, Mavericks have accumulated nine points with an impressive goal difference of 12. Meanwhile, Paradise, who remain unbeaten so far this season, also hold nine points from three outings, but their goal difference of six is half that of Mavericks, leaving them just shy of the top spot.

    Empire, fresh off an 8-1 victory over Whitehall this past Saturday, sits in third position on six points. RF Prime and Technique follow closely in fourth and fifth place respectively, both also holding six points. At the bottom of the table, three sides are still searching for their first points of the season: sixth-placed FVFC Femini, seventh-placed Whitehall, and eighth-placed Police, who now sit winless after Monday’s heavy defeat.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Officials Complete Regional Chemicals and Waste Training

    Antigua and Barbuda Officials Complete Regional Chemicals and Waste Training

    Against a backdrop of growing regional focus on environmental protection and sustainable waste management across the Caribbean, two senior technical officials from Antigua and Barbuda have completed a four-day specialized training workshop focused on advancing regulatory and practical capacity for handling hazardous chemicals and waste. Held in Trinidad and Tobago from July 7 to 10, the event, formally named the Joint Regional Training Workshop on Chemicals and Waste Multilateral Environmental Agreements, brought together environmental practitioners from across the Caribbean region to address shared challenges in environmental stewardship.

    The Antigua and Barbuda delegation comprised J’herdine Browne, a graduate assistant attached to the country’s Department of Analytical Services, and Chris Winter, who serves as Landfill Manager at the National Solid Waste Management Authority. Over the course of the training program, participants delved into a diverse curriculum designed to build both foundational and advanced skills. Core topics covered included evidence-based hazardous chemicals and waste management protocols, the legal and operational requirements of international multilateral environmental agreements, frameworks for deepening cross-border regional cooperation, and practical application of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, a global standard designed to improve worker and environmental safety.

    Beyond technical environmental content, the workshop also equipped attendees with transferable professional skills: participants received hands-on instruction in effective workplace mentoring strategies, the utilization of modern digital learning tools to expand ongoing education, and structured methods for sharing complex technical information across stakeholder groups. In a post-workshop statement, Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Analytical Services outlined the long-term value of the participation for the small island nation. The department emphasized that the new skills and connections gained will directly contribute to strengthening local technical expertise, improving national-level implementation of binding international environmental agreements, and fostering closer collaborative ties between Caribbean nations working to address shared environmental challenges.

  • Development Must Stand Alongside Democracy, Human Rights and Security, Says Chair of OAS Development Council

    Development Must Stand Alongside Democracy, Human Rights and Security, Says Chair of OAS Development Council

    An informal gathering of member states of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) has set the stage for a renewed push to position comprehensive development at the heart of the Organization of American States (OAS)’s mission, under the leadership of incoming Chair Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders of Antigua and Barbuda.

    The meeting, which brought together member state representatives alongside the OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), generated a lively, transparent and outcome-focused dialogue centered on upgrading cross-border practical collaboration to drive inclusive economic and social progress across the entire Americas region. Ambassador Sanders opened the post-meeting remarks by praising the high level of engagement from all participating delegations, noting that the constructive tone and shared purpose on display gave him significant confidence in the council’s work ahead.

    “I was greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and practical spirit that characterised the discussion,” Sanders stated. “Delegations brought forward constructive ideas and demonstrated a shared commitment to strengthening CIDI as the OAS forum for advancing integral development through cooperation and partnership.”

    Across the session, attendees aligned around a shared vision for a pragmatic, results-driven operating model for CIDI. Key priorities that earned broad backing included deepening cross-organizational partnerships, streamlining institutional coordination mechanisms, expanding access to technical cooperation resources, and building greater procedural continuity between successive CIDI chairmanships. Participants also unanimously reaffirmed a core guiding principle: that development stands as an equally essential pillar of the OAS, alongside the organization’s longstanding core priorities of democracy, human rights and regional security. Together, these four pillars work in tandem to expand stability, economic opportunity and shared prosperity for all populations across the Western Hemisphere.

    Ambassador Sanders specifically highlighted the productive collaboration with SEDI and its executive head, Ambassador Isabelle Valois, noting that secretariat staff had systematically documented every observation and recommendation put forward by member states during the discussion. “The discussion provided valuable guidance not only for my Chairmanship but also for the continuing work of SEDI in supporting Member States,” he explained. “The active engagement of both delegations and the Secretariat gives me great confidence in our ability to move from discussion to practical results.”

    To address the longstanding challenge of institutional discontinuity between leadership terms, Sanders announced a new procedural reform during his tenure: every meeting held under his chairmanship will produce a public Chair’s Summary and Follow-up document. These documents will codify the key themes emerging from discussions, outline clear next steps for action, and serve as a durable reference for member states, future CIDI chairs and OAS secretariat staff.

    The full Chair’s Work Plan laid out by Sanders centers on creating an enabling environment for sustainable business growth across the Americas. Core objectives include reducing regulatory uncertainty, building stronger institutional capacity across member states, and expanding equitable access to investment and financing for underserved communities and sectors. Ultimately, the plan aims to solidify CIDI’s role as the OAS’s lead forum for advancing integral development through practical cooperation that delivers measurable, tangible improvements to the lives of people across the region.

  • Payday to become legal obligation under wages bill

    Payday to become legal obligation under wages bill

    The Mia Mottley-led administration of Barbados is moving forward with sweeping new labor protections that will codify into law a requirement for all employers to pay workers on their pre-scheduled paydays, with late wage payments only allowed in cases of verified genuine emergency. Prime Minister Mia Mottley opened the second reading of the landmark Protection of Wages Bill in the country’s House of Assembly on Tuesday, framing the legislation as a critical step to entrench working people’s rights and reinforce the fundamental principle that earned wages are the sole property of employees, not the businesses that employ them.

    Mottley emphasized that regular, on-time wages are far more than a line item on a company’s accounting ledger for working people. “A wage packet is not an accountant entry. It is rent, it is bus fare, it is school lunch,” she told lawmakers. “This is what helps people buy food or may have to go for prescriptions. It allows people to keep their body and their dignity safe.”

    Under Clause 3 of the proposed legislation, all employers will be legally required to establish a fixed, recurring pay period and a set recurring payday, a provision designed to give employees the financial certainty they need to plan their household expenses and long-term obligations. That consistent predictability is non-negotiable for workers to map out their daily and monthly lives, Mottley noted. The bill lays out clear timelines aligned with existing common pay structures: hourly, daily, and weekly wage earners must receive pay no later than the end of each week, workers on fortnightly schedules must be paid at least once every two weeks, and monthly salaried employees must receive their compensation at minimum once per calendar month.

    Mottley stressed that she intentionally structured the bill’s provisions to be accessible and understandable for every worker across every sector of Barbados’ economy, from agricultural field workers and factory staff to hotel employees and domestic household workers. Contrary to some misunderstandings, the legislation does not mandate that all employers switch to a weekly pay cycle; instead, it locks in legal protections for whatever regular pay schedule an employer and employee have already agreed to.

    To illustrate the core purpose of the bill, Mottley used the country’s current minimum wage as an example. A worker earning the minimum hourly rate of $10.71 who works a standard 40-hour week earns $428.40 in pre-deduction wages, all of which is already owed to the employee by right. Most workers have already allocated those earnings to cover essential recurring costs: rent or mortgage payments, transportation, groceries, school fees, and other non-negotiable expenses. “A worker should not have to lend it back to any business by waiting beyond payday,” Mottley said, adding that delayed wages should only be permitted when catastrophic, unforeseen emergencies make on-time payment impossible. “It cannot be part of the everyday reality of our workers,” she emphasized.

    Beyond mandating timely pay, the bill introduces new, strict safeguards surrounding wage deductions. Under the proposed rules, any deduction from an employee’s pay requires explicit written consent from the worker, and employers will be strictly prohibited from charging interest on wage advances made to staff. “So a man can’t say: ‘I am going to give you $1 000, but you must pay me back at ten per cent.’ That’s prohibited, and it is a criminal offence,” Mottley explained.

    The bill also generally bans employers from imposing fines or making deductions from wages for poor or negligent work, with only narrow exceptions for cases where an employee’s actions cause proven property damage, as outlined in the legislation’s text. Mottley urged any worker who has questions or concerns about legal or illegal deductions to reach out for guidance to their labor union or the national Labour Department, noting that for any permitted deduction that requires advance notice, employers must provide a clear, written explanation of the reason for the withholding.

  • High Commissioner in UK pays tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers

    High Commissioner in UK pays tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers

    As the global cricket community mourns the passing of the sport’s most iconic all-rounder, Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, Barbados’ top diplomatic representative to the United Kingdom has celebrated the legendary athlete’s far-reaching legacy that extends well beyond the cricket pitch. The Barbadian national hero, universally hailed as the greatest all-round cricketer in the history of the sport, passed away last Friday, just five days before he would have celebrated his 90th birthday.

    In a statement released following the news of Sobers’ death, Barbadian High Commissioner to the UK Edmund Hinkson shared the deep sorrow of the entire London-based diplomatic mission, reflecting on the extraordinary arc of the legend’s life and impact. “Born into modest circumstances in Bayland, a tight-knit urban community in Barbados, Sir Garry climbed to the absolute peak of global stardom through unwavering commitment to excellence, innate natural talent, unmatched leadership ability, incredible resilience and unshakable self-confidence,” Hinkson said.

    Sobers’ standing in cricket goes far beyond his eye-catching statistical records, Hinkson noted. A masterful batsman, a versatile four-format top-tier bowler, an agile fielder and a reliable catcher, he also captained one of the most dominant West Indies national teams the sport has ever seen in the mid-1960s. Off the pitch, he was equally admired for his consistent generosity to peers and community, and his remarkable humility in the face of unprecedented sporting success – a trait Hinkson said should serve as a model for emerging athletes and public figures across the region.

    Most notably, Hinkson emphasized the pivotal cultural role Sobers and his dominant West Indies side played for Caribbean immigrant communities across the United Kingdom during a critical period of post-colonial transition. In the 1960s, as thousands of Caribbean people newly independent from British colonial rule built new lives in the UK, the West Indies team’s consistent test match victories over England transformed cricket into a source of collective pride. “Our English-speaking Caribbean people, just starting to navigate life as citizens of newly independent nations, were able to stand tall and hold their heads high with national and regional pride, even as they faced the daily challenges of building new lives as immigrants in our former colonizing power,” Hinkson explained.

    Weeks before his passing, the Barbadian High Commission in London honored Sobers as part of its annual National Heroes Day celebrations on April 25. The event also featured a special lecture delivered by Sir Clive Lloyd, who succeeded Sobers as West Indies captain, that explored the “phenomenal life of this great man.”

    Hinkson closed the statement by extending the mission’s deepest condolences to Sobers’ children, grandchildren and entire extended family. “Though he is no longer with us physically, we hope his extraordinary legacy will remain etched in our hearts forever,” he added.

  • 53 bodies so far recovered from MV Barima tragedy

    53 bodies so far recovered from MV Barima tragedy

    Three days after the passenger-cargo vessel MV Barima sank off Guyana’s coast on a Saturday night, recovery efforts have yielded 53 bodies as of Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Mark Phillips has confirmed in an official update. Of the 53 remains recovered, 26 have been formally and positively identified to help notify next of kin.

    Tuesday alone marked a grim milestone for the operation, with 22 bodies pulled from the waters surrounding the sinking site, Phillips told reporters. A joint team of French military personnel and local Guyanese divers already completed a preliminary survey of the sunken wreckage resting on the seafloor on Tuesday, locating one additional body that crews were unable to retrieve during the initial dive. According to Phillips, recovery teams are bracing for more discoveries as they continue accessing the wreck. “There’s a likelihood that they may encounter more bodies there,” he said in a statement to media.

    To step up the intensive search and retrieval operations at the wreck site, additional international assets are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. Detachments from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy will join the ongoing effort, bringing extra diving capacity and technical resources to speed up recovery work.

    Maritime Administration Director-General Stephen Thomas has released initial details addressing early speculation about the vessel’s operating status before the sinking. The MV Barima is officially rated to carry 126 tonnes of cargo alongside up to 394 passengers, though Thomas noted that the actual number of people and volume of goods on board can shift from voyage to voyage, depending on the specific trip’s configuration. Early assessments based on the vessel’s load line markings, a key industry indicator of safe loading, confirm the ship was not overloaded at the time of its sinking, Thomas added.

    The update, published on 21 July 2026 by Denis Chabrol, comes as Guyana’s authorities work to coordinate a multi-national response to one of the country’s deadliest recent maritime incidents.

  • Teen Testifies Neighbour Raped Her After Entering Home

    Teen Testifies Neighbour Raped Her After Entering Home

    A high-profile sexual assault trial has centered on growing scrutiny of a teenage complainant’s conflicting statements to law enforcement, as the defense team questions why a full allegation of rape was not included in her first account of the 2023 incident. Now 15, the teen told the High Court she was just 14 years old when her neighbor forced his way into her home while she was there alone and violently assaulted her in February of last year. But under cross-examination, she has conceded that her initial report to police only described an incomplete encounter: she claimed the accused touched her before leaving the property when he discovered she was menstruating, with no mention of rape at that time.

    Lead defense attorney Sherfield Bowen has put forward a key theory to explain the gap in the complainant’s original statement: Bowen argued the teen omitted the full rape allegation because she was desperate to hide that a male friend from her school had visited her home that day, a meeting that violated her household’s rules. The court has heard that the visit between the complainant and her school friend included acts of masturbation, a detail the defense claims the teen sought to keep from her family. Bowen further pushed the teen on whether she altered her account later to shift attention away from the forbidden visit and onto her neighbor.

    The teenager has firmly rejected the defense’s narrative. She told the court she did not change her statement to cover up the school friend’s visit, and she also denied being in any romantic or sexual relationship with the boy. Instead, she explained that she only came forward with the full rape allegation after two key developments: she learned she would be required to undergo a formal medical examination as part of the investigation, and she had the chance to speak privately with her grandmother, a family member she said she trusts completely.

    Multiple family members have taken the stand to testify about the days following the alleged incident. The complainant’s aunt told the court that the defendant contacted her niece after the allegation became known, and directly accused the teen of attempting to fabricate the assault to frame him. The aunt added that the neighbor denied all wrongdoing, and later sent voice messages asking her to go with him to the local police station to sort out the claim. The complainant’s step-aunt also testified, confirming that she found the teen visibly distraught in the days after the incident, and chose to accompany her to both the police station to make her statement and a local clinic for a medical check-up. The step-aunt also corroborated the defense’s claim that the teen’s first official statement to police did not include any mention of rape.

    The 40-year-old defendant, whose identity is protected by court reporting restrictions, has entered a full plea of not guilty to all charges against him. The trial is ongoing, with further witness testimony and legal arguments expected in the coming days.

  • Lovell Says All Saints West Career Fair Opened Doors for Young People

    Lovell Says All Saints West Career Fair Opened Doors for Young People

    A community-focused career fair hosted by the United Progressive Party’s All Saints West constituency branch has emerged as a pivotal platform connecting young job seekers and students with seasoned industry experts, creating meaningful opportunities to explore diverse professional pathways. Harold Lovell, the party’s caretaker for the constituency, shared insights into the event’s far-reaching impact on local young people, emphasizing that the gathering went far beyond a traditional information session to deliver hands-on learning and valuable professional networking.

    The fair drew a diverse cross-section of attendees: high school and tertiary students, first-time job seekers, local educators, and representatives from a wide range of growing industries. Sessions and presentations covered a broad spectrum of in-demand fields, spanning corporate accounting, skilled manual trades, sustainable agriculture, value-added agro-processing, and creative culinary arts. This varied lineup ensured attendees from all backgrounds and interests could find pathways aligned with their skills and goals.

    One of the event’s standout sessions came from local entrepreneur Miles Codrington, who led an interactive, practical demonstration of heavy-duty industrial equipment. Drawing from his decades of experience building his local business, Codrington opened attendees’ eyes to a critical gap in the regional labor market: a rapidly growing shortage of qualified heavy-duty equipment operators and certified mechanics. He urged young attendees to overlook outdated assumptions about blue-collar work, framing skilled trades as both a reliable pathway to stable full-time employment and a viable foundation for launching their own independent businesses down the line.

    Lovell praised all participating professionals and partner organizations for the time and expertise they invested in the event, noting that their involvement created a supportive, encouraging environment designed to boost young people’s confidence and expand their vision of what their futures could hold. “Your presence reminded our youth that they are seen, supported, and capable of achieving greatness,” Lovell said of the participating contributors.

    He also extended appreciation to the young attendees themselves, highlighting their curiosity, active engagement, thoughtful questions, and clear eagerness to learn that made the event a success. “You are the reason we continue this work, and we are proud of every step you take toward your dreams,” Lovell added, underscoring the constituency branch’s commitment to continuing similar youth-focused workforce development initiatives in the future.

  • Temporary road closure: Park Lane, St George’s on 22 July 2026

    Temporary road closure: Park Lane, St George’s on 22 July 2026

    The Traffic Division of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) has issued a formal public advisory alerting all local residents, and drivers in particular, to an upcoming full closure of Park Lane in downtown St George’s. The closure is set to take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, running from 9:00 a.m. through to 12:00 p.m. local time, to accommodate critical concrete pouring work along the roadway.

    To minimize disruption to daily travel and keep local traffic flowing safely during the construction window, RGPF has implemented a formal temporary traffic diversion plan that all road users must follow during the closure period. Under the new route arrangement, any vehicle traveling along Green Street will not be permitted to continue toward the closed Park Lane segment. Instead, all motorists on Green Street will be required to make a right turn into Bain’s Alley, before exiting the diversion route onto H A Blaize Street.

    In its advisory, the Royal Grenada Police Force extended a public apology for any unavoidable inconvenience that the road closure and temporary route changes may cause to local commuters, businesses, and visitors. Law enforcement officials also noted that they are expecting full cooperation and compliance with the new traffic rules from all road users during the three-hour construction window to ensure the work is completed on schedule and without unnecessary traffic disruption.

    This advisory was officially released through the Office of the Commissioner of Police, for distribution to the general public ahead of the scheduled work. NOW Grenada, the outlet publishing the advisory, notes that it holds no responsibility for the content, opinions, or statements included in third-party contributor submissions, and provides a reporting channel for users to flag any abusive content shared on its platform.

  • Tekort aan buurtmanagers; evaluatie programma in uitvoering

    Tekort aan buurtmanagers; evaluatie programma in uitvoering

    On July 21, Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Police Harish Monorath revealed a severe staffing gap in the country’s neighborhood policing initiative during a sitting of the National Assembly. Currently, the Suriname Police Corps only has 43 active neighborhood managers in service, while the immediate operational demand stands at 60 full-time positions. This shortfall has forced leadership to reassign several existing neighborhood managers to other departments within the force, leaving critical community policing roles understaffed.

    Monorath’s comments came in response to a question from A30 parliament member Steven Reyme, who raised concerns about declining accessibility and effectiveness of neighborhood policing services, particularly for senior residents. Reyme shared that he recently held an extended conversation with an elderly citizen who complained about reduced communication between local residents and assigned neighborhood managers. He noted that in previous years, neighborhood managers were far more visible in communities and maintained consistent, regular contact with local residents, a standard that has slipped in recent times.
    Reyme emphasized the urgent need to revitalize communication between community policing staff and local residents, especially for older adults who spend most daytime hours alone at home. These vulnerable residents need clear, reliable points of contact to turn to when safety or quality-of-life issues arise in their neighborhoods, he argued.
    Monorath openly acknowledged the scope of the staffing challenge, confirming that out of the 60 required neighborhood manager positions, only 43 are currently filled. Limited personnel budgets and overall resource constraints have driven the reassignment of existing neighborhood managers to other police departments, creating gaps in community outreach. Accessibility to neighborhood managers has also become a persistent challenge as a result of these constraints.
    In response to the gap, the entire neighborhood manager program is now undergoing a full re-evaluation to identify structural solutions. Beyond the review, Monorath has issued a directive to frontline basic policing units to increase their visible presence in residential neighborhoods and strengthen community engagement, even amid limitations in vehicle access and other operational resources. The minister specifically ordered that extra attention be prioritized for vulnerable groups including senior citizens and young people.
    While Monorath reaffirmed the Suriname Police Force’s ongoing commitment to improving its relationship with local communities, he stressed that sustainable improvement will require sufficient staffing capacity and financial resources to support expanded community policing efforts.